THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Do you think the money the Yankees spend on payroll in any way diminishes their World Series championship? It seems many fans cry “foul” about the Yankees payroll. But don’t most fans want their favorite teams’ owners to spend as much as possible to field a winner?

JEFF GORDON
The high payroll absolutely diminishes the title. A team that outspends rivals by such an enormous margin should play in every World Series. Period. The Yankees can buy elite talent AND replace ineffective players on the fly AND buy quality replacements for injured guys. They can outspend their front-office mistakes and outspend any injury misfortune. They can keep spending all the way to the end of the season. The variables most franchises wrestle with from year to year don’t apply to the Yankees. The players still have to play, of course, but the Yankees should enter every postseason with the best team.

DERRICK GOOLD
Absolutely not. The money the Yankees threw at their lineup in no way diminishes their World Series title. It only gave them better access to October to win their 27th World Series. The notion that a championship can be bought in baseball is cliché and fiction. Big-budget payrolls only help a team like the Yankees avoid the cycle of competion we’ve seen from Florida, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, et al. The Yankees, Red Sox and, in some ways, the Cardinals defy the law of averages by spending enough to assure a place in the postseason. What they do when they get there has everything to do with how they spent their money, not how much they spent. All fans should want their teams to spend more, sure, but it’s much better to spend it more wisely.

RICK HUMMEL
Baseball had its best television ratings in years. People want to watch the Yankees — many to see them lose — but they are the best entertainment in the sport. The Yankees’ payroll was about the same as it was the previous season — of course, it was over $200 million.

DAN O’NEILL
I don’t think the Yankees’ payroll necessarily diminishes the World Series win. The Yankees have been baseball’s biggest spenders for many years, yet this is their first World Series win since 2000.

I think the picture is bigger. I think a lot of people feel anything the Yankees do is diminished because of their payroll budget. It certainly helps them be in position to contend on a regular basis. But if anything, in the big picture, the Yankees are living proof you cannot just go out and buy a championship. There’s more to it than that.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
It doesn’t diminish what the Yankees players have done but it certainly illustrates how much easier it is for Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenners than it is for just about everyone else. They were unhappy with their team so they sign spent $340 million on Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia in their effort to win another championship. Must be nice.

Interestingly enough, the Yankees payroll was actually down $8 million compared to 2008. Also, under the luxury tax system in MLB, the more you spend the more you wind up handing off to other teams. The Yankees are going to pay $27 million in luxury tax for 2009 on top of their $201,449,189 payroll and by the time that check clears they will have paid $175 million in luxury taxes over the last 7 years.

What’s ironic to me is that so many Americans cry foul about “sharing the wealth” when those words are uttered within the political spectrum, yet that’s exactly the kind of system they want for their sports leagues. Interesting dichotomy, no? I like the “free market with limits” rules that Major League Baseball has compared to the strict spread-the-wealth-evenly systems in the NBA, NHL and NFL, but fans seem to gravitate toward those systems. I like the idea that owners in baseball can do whatever they want — as long as they’re willing to pay the price of doing business like the Yankees do.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Besides Albert Pujols, which sluggers would you most like to see perform in the year’s Home Run Derby?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Let’s back up a moment. Actually, I DON’T want to see Albert Pujols in the HR Derby. He’s The Franchise. He has a partially torn elbow ligament. I don’t see how it makes sense whatsoever to put Pujols at risk by having him take multiple sets of maximum-intensity swings, just to give Chris Berman something to scream about on ESPN. Cardinals fans may want to see Pujols in the HR Derby; I’d rather see him play first base for the Cardinals for the remaining games on the schedule. Because if he snaps the elbow ligament, the Cardinals are doomed. Done. Finished. If the public has such an insatiable desire for homers, then give ’em what they want. MLB should turn the Home Run Derby into a showcase for the juicers. Invite Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, A-Rod, Ramirez, Sheffield and let’s have a freak show.

JOE STRAUSS
Aaron Miles, Cesar Izturis, David Eckstein, Brendan Ryan and Ryan Freel. Perhaps then the longest, most sponsor-driven night in American sport would take less time than the Game itself. This year’s selection process suggests that at least one player, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, was named to the NL All-Star team to ensure his participation in the Derby. Sounds like the tail wagging the dog to me.

JEFF GORDON
Start with the hometown kid, Ryan Howard. He would want to put on a big show, right? A pure hitter like Justin Morneau is fun to watch in an event like this, too. Josh Hamilton is a freak show. If he is healthy enough to answer the bell, that would be great fun. Evan Longoria and Adrian Gonzalez are on my fantasy baseball team, so I would rather they skip the event and save themselves for second-half statistical glory.

DERRICK GOOLD
Chiefly, Ryan Howard. It is, after all, the biggest reason he’s coming here as an All-Star — because he can flat crank with light-tower power. Howard was a manager’s pick for the National League team, a favor pick, if you will. There are more deserving bats in the NL (read: Pablo Sandoval) but there aren’t any more fitting bats for an All-Star Game than the slugger back home to hit homers in St. Louis. A duel between him and Pujols would be the Must-See TV that ESPN is certainly salivating over. You could argue that the derby should be exclusively first basemen, but others who should be in the derby, taking aim at “BIG MAC LAND” are: Ryan Braun (one of the best righthanded hitters in the league), Evan Longoria (young star on the rise), Mark Teixeira (see how he does outside of new Yankee Stadium) and … Ichiro Suzuki. Word is he can put on a show during batting practice with his pop. Time to flash that 5 o’clock power under the lights of the 7 o’clock derby.

DAN O’NEILL
Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew, Ted Williams, Joe Adcock, Frank Howard, Ralph Kiner, Ernie Banks, Dick Stuart, Dick Allen, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell, Jimmie Foxx, Reggie Jackson, Rocky Colavito, Yogi Berra, Duke Snider, Stan Musial and Johnny Mize.

Because with today’s bats and today’s balls, they would put on one heckuva show. And best of all, none of it would be chemically enhanced.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

KNOWING A BARGAIN WHEN YOU SEE ONE: “Good stuff cheap” read’s the Boston Globe’s online headline this morning. This after the announcement that the Red Sox have reached a preliminary agreement with future Hall of Fame starter/closer John Smoltz on a one-year, $5 million deal. According to the report, Smoltz, 41, will finalize the deal later today and can earn another $5 million in performance incentives.

Oh, and the Red Sox also picked up former first-round pick Rocco Baldelli in a one-year, performance-laden deal.

You think of the big, bad Red Sox as a free-wheeling, free-spending organization, but after missing out in the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes the Bosox have acted with financial prudence, taking shots on guys who have exceeded at the highest level, and doing so at discount prices that only escalate based on actual performance.

You may recall the Red Sox already have signed former Dodgers ace Brad Penny to a one-year, $5 million deal. That escalates to the neighborhood of $8 million with performance incentives.

Both Smoltz and Penny had some injury issues last season, but both also have shown the ability to perform at an extemely high level when healthy, Smoltz in a Cooperstown-sort-of-way. The Sox have invested $10 million guaranteed that the two can help them push toward another World Series. And if they don’t perform, Boston can walk away after one year and not be bogged down by long-term contracts.

Both examples, to me, seem exactly the kind of deal the Cardinals have indicated they are looking for. Smoltz, in particular, meets the characteristics of the kind of player described by manager Tony La Russa just last week that he’d like to have — someone with starting and closing experience. Alas, the Cardinals remain on the sidelines.

Perhaps the Cards are doing the right thing by remaining patient as the market for pitchers sets itself. Then again, you don’t want patience to turn into paralysis.

IN OTHER BASEBALL NEWS: The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting today that the Brewers have signed all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman to a one-year, $6 million deal. Hoffman can earn an addition $1.5 million in incentives, based on games finished, according to the report. So scratch Hoffman off the list. You can read what the Journal-Sentinel and Milwaukee fans have to say at the blog site highlighted above.

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THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Who will win tonight’s BCS Championship game between Florida and Oklahoma and what will be the final score?

VAHE GREGORIAN
Florida “holds” Oklahoma four touchdowns below what it’s been scoring in the second half of the season but can’t quite stop the Sooners.
Oklahoma 35, Florida 28

STU DURANDO
The SEC doesn’t lose in the championship game. I’m sick of the SEC but until it loses I can’t pick against any of its teams. However, this game is completely anti-climactic to me. The BCS folks have made this an afterthought by playing on a Thursday night, a week after New Year’s Day. I feel more like I’m about to watch a great season opener for 2009.
Florida 37, Oklahoma 30

JOE STRAUSS
If money grew on trees, this is what handicappers would refer to as “low-hanging money.” As the bowl season has screamed: The SEC is big league, the Big 12 is 4-A. Teams that don’t play defense don’t hang against SEC big boys. Ask Texas Tech. Oklahoma has an underrated defense — within the Big 12. A late score makes this one deceptively close.
Florida 38, Oklahoma 32. (Give the points.)

TOM TIMMERMANN
I saw a lot more of Oklahoma this year than I did Florida, which has probably colored my thinking that the Sooners are better. I’m counting on Oklahoma’s defense to make the plays needed for the win.
Oklahoma 28, Florida 27

CAMERON HOLLWAY
Tonight’s game is no more a “championship” than Utah-Alabama, USC-Penn State or Texas-Ohio State. Utah is the national champion, and USC, Texas and tonight’s winner belong in the conversation. I picked Oklahoma to be crowned in the preseason, so I’ll have to stick with that pick. The Sooners offensive line might be the best in NCAA history, which gives Sam Bradford the time to pick any defense apart.
Oklahoma 34, Florida 31.

REID LAYMANCE
The Sooners’ only loss this season came against Texas, a team with a gritty QB (Colt McCoy) and a good kick returner (Jordan Shipley). Florida has that and maybe a bit more in Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin.
Florida 35, Oklahoma 33

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Everyone’s got a 50-50 chance at getting the above question right. How hard is that? The really challenge was picking the national champion before the season began. Take a look at who our college football writers, columnists and college editor said would win it all in our preseason preview.

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QUESTION TO THE READERS

MACLIN A MIZZOU GREAT? On the eve of Jeremy Maclin announcing his decision between the NFL and staying in school, I got to wondering about where he would rank with all-time Mizzou football greats. I didn’t grow up here so I don’t have a great historical perspective as far as seeing guys play. I know what my eyes tell me about Maclin: He’s an incredibly talented athlete who glides so smoothly while juking opponents it often seems he’s doing it effortlessly. If he goes pro now, does he hurt his legacy among Mizzou greats, or perhaps not even be considered one? Or has he already put himself in the upper-tier in the schools annals? Educate me on this one.

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STAT OF THE DAY

7,354.2 — Career innings pitched by Cy Young, the most in Major League history. That averages out to about 334 innings pitched per season in his 22-year career. Pretty amazing, huh?

THE WATERCOOLER

The New York Yankees today completed their eight-year, $180 million deal with first baseman Mark Teixeira. With that in mind, we posed the following scenario to our writers:

QUESTION: Teixeira’s contract with the Yankees resets the bar for Albert Pujols, who is currently operating on a seven-year, $100 million deal. The two players are separated in age by just 3 months and play the same position. Pujols is signed through 2010 with a club option for 2011. Should the Cardinals be working on extending Pujols’ contract right now, and if so, what do you think it would take?

JOE STRAUSS
The market has not gone down for superstar players in the modern era. Teixeira’s Annual Average Value of $22.5 million is fairly representative of what many believe El Hombre would command if he negotiated an extension today. Pujols obviously has had a more impressive career than Tex. By renegotiating the last 2-plus years on his remaining deal, the club might receive a break going forward while bumping his ’09 and ’10 salaries. To make Albert a “Cardinal for life” would likely start at eight years, $200 million. Much is unknown about the next three years. Pujols enjoys playing for La Russa, who is unsigned beyond this year. There is much to suggest the process could become much more complicated as time passes.

RICK HUMMEL
The Cardinals, before too much longer, should explore extending Pujols’ contract before somebody comes along and gets one even bigger than Teixeira’s. It might take $200 million for eight years, in Albert’s case, or at least six years at $150 million.

JEFF GORDON
Since the Cardinals will certainly pick up Albert’s contract option in 2011, the club can wait until after this season to discuss an extension. Approaching him with two years left seems like the ideal timetable. The club will have a better idea of where top prospect Brett Wallace stands. If Albert becomes determined to test the market and go for the highest dollar, then Wallace would become the first baseman in waiting. He, as Albert did, would have to bide his time at third base or in left field. If Albert wants to test the market, the Cards would have to trade him rather than risk losing him for a compensatory pick. If Albert wants to extend his deal, the Cards should consider tacking on about three years and $75 million before the 2010 season. That extension would give Albert what he deserves and allow the club to deal Wallace if it becomes apparent he really can’t play anywhere but first base.

DERRICK GOOLD
When reports of Teixeira’s deal with the Yankees began circulating, I received a brief email from an agent: “Very good for Pujols.” Good is putting it mildly. This was a jackpot. And Teixeira is just the beginning. Within the next month, Ryan Howard will set all sorts of arbitration records and help further define the escalating cost of a player like Pujols. Follow the trends, and it’s plausible that Pujols will be the first player to receive a contract with an annual average salary of $30 million. That’s what the current market says for the best hitter in the league. But the Cardinals don’t need to let this market set Pujols’ price. They have time on their side. Well, one year on their side. It would make sense to begin discussing an extension with Pujols a year from now, when that 2011 option looms and free agency beckons. Give the market a year. Give the elbow year. Give him another year or two to win another MVP or two. And then pay the toll. The Cardinals have deferred so much of his salary that they are already paying him through … what, 2029? What’s another decade?

DAN O’NEILL
Comparing Teixeira’s deal with Pujols’ deal is apples and oranges. Teixeira became a free agent this winter and cashed in. That’s the way it works; timing is the operative factor. In 2005, Teixeira had 43 home runs, 144 RBIs, a .301 average and he made $3.6 million; Pujols had 41 home runs, 117 RBIs, .330 average and he made $11 million. Was that fair? Yeah, because Pujols was fresh into a new deal. Trying to keep up with salaries from one signing period to the next is like trying to keep up with computer operating systems. You fall behind almost as soon as you walk out of the store.

The Cardinals don’t need to start negotiating with Pujols now, that’s why you gave him so much money for so many years, that’s what the player gives up when he asks for so much for so many years. The Cardinals have an option on Pujols for 2011, meaning he is locked up for three seasons. Perhaps it would be prudent to approach Pujols about an extension, but given the physical problems he has had the past two seasons, it makes more sense to wait.

What’s more, in the current environment, with people at A-B losing jobs, with so many experiencing tough times, it is poor form, if not flat insulting, for any of MLB team to be throwing sick sums of money at players. If Pujols feels slighted, all he need do is try to get by on the $16 million per year he gets for the next three seasons and become a free agent. Then people in New York will be asking if it’s fair that Pujols is making so much more money than Teixeira.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Derrick Goold wrote an excellent piece on Pujols vs. Teixeira a couple weeks back when news of the Teixeira signing first began to trickle out. In case you missed it, here’s a link to that piece, which you’ll find in Birdland.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

THERE’S TALKING, AND THERE’S DOING: Just what is slowing up the Rams’ process in finding a new head coach? Nine days into their quest, the Rams have interviewed just one candidate — Green Bay assistant head coach-linebackers coach Winston Moss.

Contrast that to the Denver Broncos, who canned Mike Shanahan just days ago. First, they are not dragging their feet getting candidates in for talks. Second, they’re aiming high with some of the bigger-name up-and-comers. Sure, they gave an obligatory interview to the team’s offensive coordinator under Shanahan, Rick Dennison. But the Broncos already have interviewed Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. They plan to meet today with Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. And they will interview Minnesota’s Leslie Frazier on Wednesday. (Yeah, the same Leslie Frazier the Rams are talking about talking with for their vacancy.)

Chip’s said he’s got the checkbook out, so what’s with the lack of actual interviews? Meanwhile, Rams scouts continue to wander the lands wondering just what kind of player their next coach may want.

IT’S A TOUGH MARKET: Former NFL star Michael Vick — currently serving a 23-month prison sentence for a federal dogfighting conspiracy — has asked a bankruptcy judge to allow him to sell his eight-bedroom home near Atlanta via auction. It appears Vick is having financial troubles, and even though realtors have shown the house more than 30 times, according to the Associated Press, the $4.1 million price tag is just too high. So now Vick’s lawyers want to sell it to the highest bidder at auction. Anyone planning a move to Atlanta? I hear the place even comes with a Michael Vick Fathead already installed.

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THINGS TO PONDER

I TOLD YOU SO: I was panned on this blog about a month ago when I said the Chargers made a huge mistake letting Drew Brees just walk away for nothing. Some thought I was comparing him to Philip Rivers (I wasn’t, though I would prefer Brees on my team). I was simply saying the Chargers made a mistake letting Brees simply walk as a free agent. He’s absolutely revitalized the team in New Orleans. Still, many slings and arrows were tossed at Brees (and me) in comments to this blog. So it is with great joy that I announce to you:

Brees was voted The Associated Press 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award today.
Brees threw for 5,069 yards, 15 fewer than Dan Marino’s 1984 mark — which is only the second time in history someone has eclipsed 5,000 yards passing in a season. Heh, heh, heh.

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STAT OF THE DAY

3 1/2 — Points Florida is favored by over Oklahoma in Thursday’s BCS Championship game.

The Water Cooler

Question: Who will win tonight’s Braggin’ Rights game?

Bryan Burwell
Missouri 79, Illinois 73. Tigers finally break the losing streak.

Bernie Miklasz
Missouri 78, Illinois 73. The Illini were bothered by Clemson’s pressure defense in a previous loss this season and a deeper Mizzou team can do the same.

Stu Durando
Missouri 76, Illinois 71. The Tigers will pester the Illini into too many turnovers and Illinois won’t be able to keep Carroll and Lyons off the offensive boards.

Jeff Gordon
Missouri 89, Illinois 84. If Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll stay out of foul trouble and make some free throws, they will make the difference. The Illini ought to handle the Tigers’ pressure defense, but containing Lyons and Carroll will be difficult.

Vahe Gregorian
Mizzou 75, Illinois 70. MU’s new-found depth and versatility snap eight-game losing streak to Illini.

Cameron Hollway
Illinois 88, Missouri 87. The Tigers are 3-8 in this game when ranked, and they’ve lost the last eight meetings. It’ll come down to the final play.

Kathleen Nelson
Illinois 78, Missouri 75: Illini get the advantage on the boards.

Tom Timmermann
Illinois 72, Missouri 65: Missouri’s talent has a little more growing up to do.

Mid-day news

The Mark Teixeira watch could end soon: He is said to want to make a decision by Christmas. The Angels say they are out. The Washington Nationals want to be in. The Red Sox are being coy and who knows about the Yankees.

This is no way to cover payroll: The Yankees are charging 25 cents for bleacher seats for exhibition games against the Cubs in April for the opening of the new Yankee stadium. That matches the price paid for the opener of the original Yankee Stadium in 1923. Grandstand seats will cost $1.10. Of course for the regular season can be as high as $2,500 a seat.

What does the BCS think of this? The NCAA granted a sixth year of eligibility to Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley today. He had missed his first two seasons completely because of injury.

Things to ponder

Tim Cowlishaw at the Dallas Morning News wonders if the NFL is doing its part to help the Cowboys make the playoffs by changing the time of their game with the Eagles on Sunday. If early games go a certain way, the Eagles could be out of the playoff picture by the time they kick off against Dallas, which should certainly help the Cowboys.

Jason King at Yahoo Sports has an interesting tale of Texas basketball player Damian Jones and his family situation.

Stat of the day

26.9 million: That’s in dollars for the New York Yankees who had to pay that much in luxury tax because they exceeded baseball’s salary threshold of $155 million. All that for an 89-73 team that finished third in the AL East. Of course, the only other team to pay a luxury tax this year didn’t make the post-season either. That’s the Tigers who were charged $1.3 million.

THE WATERCOOLER

Question: Are the 2008 Detroit Lions the worst team in the history of the NFL? If not, who is?

JIM THOMAS
Humbly speaking, I’m probably the area’s foremost expert on bad football. I covered the “Woody’s Wagon” Missouri Tigers in the mid ’80s. (I was on press row for the Norman Conquest, the 77-0 loss at Oklahoma. Yes, the Sooners did send a note to the Mizzou locker room at halftime saying: “You’re in the wrong defense.” And yes, Brian Bosworth was eating a hot dog on the sidelines near the end of the game.) And of course, I now chronicle the weekly pratfalls of the St. Louis Rams. But in this age of NFL parity, with the salary cap, free agency, the ability to draft high after bad seasons, to be able to navigate an entire NFL season without a single victory is an incredible feat. If the Lions manage to finish 0-16, I’d rate them as the worst team in NFL history. Hands down.

BILL COATS
I think that “honor” goes to the 1980 New Orleans Saints, who became known as the “Aints” and whose fans showed up with paper bags on their heads. Only a one-point win over a so-so Jets team avoided 0-16.

BRYAN BURWELL
The Lions are the worst ever. Their only competition for “worst ever” would be the winless 0-14 Tampa Bay Bucs. Those Bucs were dreadful with their ugly orange uniforms and a 12-game streak the following season that extended their futility to an NFL record 26 games. But they had an excuse. They were an expansion team in 1976 with a roster full of NFL rejects. The Lions’ only excuse is lengthy managerial incompetence.

TOM TIMMERMANN
While Detroit may lose more games, I don’t think anyone can match the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for being flat out bad. They were outscored 412-125, shut out five times, averaged 214 yards of total offense. Other than Lee Roy Selmon, they had nobody. I’d make Detroit a 6-point favorite if the teams met. Then I’d plan to be doing something else during the game.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOSTON AND ST. LOUIS: Boston owner John Henry shocked Red Sox Nation last night when he issued a statement saying the Bosox we’re out of the running for prized free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. “We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him,” Henry said in an e-mail, according to the Boston Globe. “After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor.”

Although the other teams pursuing Teixeira include the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals, many in Boston believe Henry’s statement is purely a negotiating ploy. Who knows, perhaps Henry just doesn’t want to bid against himself … the same tactic apparently being applied by the Cardinals right now with Brian Fuentes.

Did I just compare an 8-year, $180 million deal to a 2-year, $16-18 million deal? Kind of puts it into perspective though, doesn’t it … the kind of money that causes hand-wringing in Boston and the kind that causes it in St. Louis? Oh, to have such problems.

THE PRIDE OF POPLAR BLUFF: Missouri native Tyler Hansbrough broke the all-time scoring record at the University of North Carolina last night when he fought through two defenders to score his 2,291st point, passing all-time leader Phil Ford. It’s an impressive feat at an elite basketball institution like North Carolina. One columnist from the Raleigh News & Observer points out that a key factor in Hansbrough breaking the record is that he decided to stick around for his senior season, as Ford had done. The Observer column says that, “Conservatively estimated, Antawn Jamison, Joseph Forte, Michael Jordan and Rashad McCants were all on pace to break Ford’s record had they stayed for a fourth year (or in Forte’s case, third and fourth years).”

I say it’s too bad more “college” athletes don’t make the decision to finish up their four years of schooling, but that’s an argument for another day.

Hansbrough needs to make no apologies for the hard-working style and determination that now has him at the top of Carolina’s scoring list. Congrats to Hansbrough on the record and to all the folks of Poplar Bluff who must be celebrating the achievement of their native son.

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THINGS TO PONDER

THANK YOU, RAMS: No sellout for the Rams game Sunday means a TV blackout. But the Rams are still delivering a holiday gift to us all: By virtue of the blackout, the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) vs. Tennessee Titans (12-2) game will be aired at noon instead. This is a huge game with homefield advantage for the entire AFC playoffs on the line. And now all those fans not attending Sunday’s game at The Ed can stay home and watch football as it’s meant to be played. In the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, everyone.”

LOOSEN UP, IT’S THE HOLIDAYS: It’s Friday and many of us will be taking a few days off in the coming weeks. I thought I’d end today on a lighter note, so I went searching online for some funny Rickey Henderson quotes and anecdotes. Who doesn’t love Rickey? I know Rickey loves Rickey. I found what I was looking for at chiefsplanet.com. Here are five of my favorites, but you can check out Chiefs Planet’s Top 25 by clicking on the link above. Well, onto Rickey:

1. In 1996, Henderson’s first season with San Diego, he boarded the team bus and was looking for a seat. Steve Finley said, “You have tenure, sit wherever you want.” Henderson looked at Finley and said, “Ten years? Ricky’s been playing at least 16, 17 years.”

2. Trying to get back into baseball, Henderson reportedly called San Diego GM Kevin Towers and left the following message on his answering machine: “This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball.”

3. A reporter asked Henderson if Ken Caminiti’s estimate that 50 percent of Major League players were taking steroids was accurate. His response was, “Well, Rickey’s not one of them, so that’s 49 percent right there.”

4. Rickey was asked if he had the Garth Brooks album with Friends in Low Places and Henderson said, “Rickey doesn’t have albums. Rickey has CDs.”

5. When he was on the Yankees in the mid-1980s, Henderson told teammates that his condo had such a great view that he could see, “The Entire State Building.”

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STAT OF THE DAY

6 — Number of NBA coaches fired in the season’s first seven weeks. The teams with new coaches: Kings, 76ers, Thunder, Timberwolves, Raptors and Wizards. On one hand you feel bad for the guys losing their jobs. On the other hand, you wish we could all be guaranteed the kind of severence packages they probably received.